Email systems facilitate the exchange of electronic mail over a network, such as a LAN (local area network), WAN (wide area network), or public network (e.g., Internet). Most people are familiar with traditional computer email systems, which are constructed on a client-server model. The email system involves a server-based mail program residing on the server computer to manage the exchange of email messages over one or more networks and a client-based mail program residing on the client to implement a mailbox that receives and holds the email messages for a user. The client-based mail program also implements a graphical user interface that enables the user to open and read mail, or to create new mail messages.
To support the client-based mail program, the traditional computer email systems assume that the clients are full functioning general-purpose computers with their own operating system, processing resources, memory resources, and so forth. Examples of such clients include workstations, desktop computers, laptops, and the like.
With the advent of alternative client products having limited processing capabilities and memory, more server centric email systems have evolved that rely on the Internet and the World Wide Web (Web) as the delivery vehicle. These scaled down or "thin" clients are typically constructed with just enough functionality to enable access to the server computer over a network. The thin client commonly implements a browser, but does not have the ability to execute other application programs, such as traditional client-based mail programs.
Examples of thin clients include low cost computers known as "network computers" or "NCs" and television set-top boxes (STBs). NCs and STBs provide limited local processing, but are primarily reliant on the server for most processing.
Browser-based email systems are well suited for thin clients. The client mailbox is maintained at a server and the client accesses the mailbox using standard Web protocol, such as HTTP (hypertext transport protocol). The server serves images of the mailbox and opened mail messages as standard pages written in a markup language, such as HTML (hypertext markup language). The client browser renders the pages so that the user perceives a full functioning email system.
This invention is directed to improving browser-based email systems.